Switch-board for electric-arc-light stations



(No Model.)

B. F. SAWYER.

SWITCH BOARD FOR ELECTRIC ARC L 5 SheetsShe et 1.

IGHT STATIONS.

Patented June 2,1891.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R. F. SAWYER. v SWITCH BOARD FOR ELECTRIC ARC LIGHT STATIONS. No. 453,349. Patented June '2, 1891.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

R. P. SAWYER.

SWITCH BOARD FOR ELECTRIC ARC LIGHT STATIONS.

No. 453,349. Patented June 2. 1891.

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(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4. R. P. SAWYER.

SWITCH BOARD FOR ELECTRIC ARC LIGHT-STATIONS.

No. 453,349. Patented June 2, 1891.

(-Nb Model.) 5 SheetsSheet 5.

R. F. SAWYER.

SWITCH BOARD FOR ELECTRIC ARC LIGHT STATIONS.

No. 453,349. Patented June 2,1891.

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-Ice.

ROBERT F. SAWYER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SWITCH-BOARD FOR ELECTRlC-ARC-LIGHT STATIONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 453,349, dated June 2, 1891. Application filed October 23, 1890- Serial No. 369,044. (No model.)

T0 at whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERTF. SAWYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch-Boards for Electric- Arc-Light Stations, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of switchboards serving as a terminal for the wires from one or more generating-dynamos and also as a terminal for the line-circuit wires of the several circuits run by such dynamos with plugs arranged in pairs, one of the pair being connected to the other thereof by a wire adapted to constitute an electric conductor, and both of the plugs being adapted to beinserted through holes in the switch-board in front of the dynamo and line-circuit terminals into and in contact with such terminals respectively, thereby effecting an electric circuit from the generating-dynamos or one of them, through the switch-board to the linecircuit wires. A current of electricity generated by the dynamos so connected with the line-circuit wires will thus extend to the switch-board through or over the plugs and connecting-wires out on the line-circuit and back thereon to the switch-board, and from thence to the dynamo or dynamos.

The object of my invention is to obtain a switch-board of the character named upon which are placed the dynamo-terminals and the line-circuit terminals required, both of such terminals being firmly and rigidly secured to the back of the switch-board and having holes in front thereof through which plugs may be inserted thereinto, such tenninals being also adapted to serve as short-circuit terminals to be used in the changes necessarily incident to the employment of switchboards of this character at electric-arc-light stations, and to obtain a switch-board of the character named which shall be well adapted for the rapid change off and on to the several line-circuits of the several generating dynamos extending from and to such switch-board.

In this invention as in the invention for a switch-board described and claimed in United States Letters Patent No. 437,516, granted to me on the 30th day of September, A. D. 1890, I employ terminals having therein both plain- .two of the other line-circuits, with the fourth 75 contact and spring-contact receptacles for plugs fitting thereinto (hereinafter termed, respectively, plain-contact terminals and spring-contact terminals) for both the dynamo-circuits and for the linecircuits, such terminals being secured to the back of the switch-board with openings in front thereof through the switch-board, through which openings the plugs referred to can be placed and inserted in and electrically connected with the several terminals as desired.

I have illustrated my invention by the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a switchboard having thereon terminals for the negative and the positive poles of two dynamos, and terminals for fourline-circuits with trans- 7o fer-plugs, and wires connecting such transferplugs in such manner that one of dynamos is represented as running one of the line-circuits and the other of the dynamos running line-circuit idle. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of theswitchboard with othertransfer-plugwires thereon, such other wires being employed in making changes hereinafter described, necessaryin the use of the device; Fig. 3, an elevation showing the back of the switch-board with the several terminals secured thereon, the switches thereof pivoted to the switch-board, and the wires extending from the dynamo to the dynamoterminals, and the line-circuit wires extending from the line-circuit terminals; Fig.

4, a side elevation of one of the line-circuit terminals; Fig. 5, a perspective view of a dynamo-terminal; Fig. 6, a perspective view of aline-circuitterminal; Fig. 7, aplug adapted a to fit into either the spring-contact terminal of the dynamo-terminals or the spring-contact terminal of the line-circuit terminals; Fig. 8.

a transfer-plug adapted to fit into the plain contact terminals of the dynamo and line-ciro5 cuit terminals; Fig. 9, a diagram illustratin one of the dynamos, the wires extending IIOHUI the dynamo to the switch-board, the transferplug Wires extending from the springcontact terminals of one of the dynamo-terminals to we the springcontact terminals of one of the terminals of line-circuit 3, and also line circuit 3; Fig. 10, a diagram illustrating the dynamo not illustrated in Fig. 9, wires extendnals to the spring-contact terminals of one of the terminals of line-circuit 4, line-circuit at, a wire extending from one of the spring-contact terminals, and the other pole thereof, to one of the spring-contact terminals of linecircuit 2, line-circuit 2, and a Wire extending from the spring-contact terminal at the other pole of line-circuit 2, to one of the spring-contact terminals of the dynamo; Fig. 11, a diagram illustrating the manner in which line-,

circuit 3 is run by the same dynamo with which it is run as illustrated in Fig. 9, with the spring-contact plug at one end of one of the transfer-wires, which in Fig. 9 is illustrated as inserted in the switch-board, withdrawn therefrom,'andwithatransfer-wirehaving the two plugs thereof inserted,one of them in one of the plain-contact terminals of the dynamo and the other in one of the plain-contact terminals of line-circuit 3; Fig. 12, a diagram illustrating bot-h dynamos, with linecircuits 3 and 4 run by one of them, and linecircuit 2 run by the other of them; and Fig. 13, a diagram illustrating both dynamos with line-circuits 3 and t run by the same dynamo which is running such circuits as illustrated in Fig. 12, and line-circuit 2 run by the other one thereof with certain of the transfer-plug wires changed from the position in which they are shown in Fig. 12.

Each of the dynamo-terminals is composed of two stations, duplicatesone for the positive and one for the negative pole or wire of the dynamo. The station is illustrated in perspective in Fig. 4. It is secured to the back of the switch-board, and the wire from the dynamo is secured to it. The circuit-terminals are composed each of four stationstwo right-hand and two left-hand ones. One of these stationsa right-hand oneis shown in perspective in Fig. 5. The left-hand stations are, except in being left-handed in the arrangement of the respective parts, like the right-handones. The description of asingle dynamo-terminal station will therefore answer as a description of all dynamo and circuit terminal stations on the switch-board. As many of such terminals are in practice placed upon the switch-board as are required by the size of the plant. terminals there are placed pivotal switch-1evers adapted to be alternately brought in contact with the right and left handed stations, and to the pivotal point of these switchlevers the negative and positive poles or wires of the line-circuit are electrically connected. The stations are each composed of a springcontact terminal and two plain-contact terminals. The plugs, hereinafter described, inserted in the springcontact terminals, remain in electrical contact with the terminals during the entire time the circuits electrically connected thereby with the dynamo-circuits At the line-circuit are at work, and the use of the spring in these terminals is to render continual electrical contact certain, while the plugs, which are inserted in the plain-contact terminals, are in nearly every case inserted only during the act of changing or making up circuits upon the board, and hence the electrical contact is sufficiently certain without a spring. In so far as the securing an electrical contact between the plugs and the terminals into which such plugs are inserted, the use of the springcontact terminals is the same as that of the plain-contact terminals. These spring-contact terminals being duplicates and the plaincontact terminals also duplicates, I have used the same letters of reference to indicate the same parts in the terminal station of the dynamo-terminals and the line-circuit terminals.

Like letters and figures refer to like parts throughout the several views.

Y and Z are dynamos.

A is the terminal of dynamo Z, and B the terminal of dynamo Y.

Z Z are the wires extending from dynamo Z to terminals A and Y.

Y are the wires extending from dynamo Y to terminal B.

O C C O are respectively the terminals of line-circuits 1, 2, 3, and 4.

'D is a station for the dynamo-terminals, and E a station for the linecircuit terminals.

d is a clamp on dynamo-station D,to which is secured the dynamo-wire. Clamp (Z is not required on the line-circuit station E, and E is a projection on the base of the line-circuit station E, which is not required on dynamostation D. The position of projection E determines whether the station E is a righthand station or a left-hand station.

D is the spring-contact terminal, and D D are the plain contact terminals.

(1' is the spring in the spring-contact of the terminals D and E, and (Z d are the holes through which are placed the screws securing the terminal stations D and E, respectively, to the back of the switch-board.

F is a spring-contact transfer-plug, having the handle F, Fig. 6, which is constructed of material of the class known in the art as non-conducting, and a metal shaft F secured in the handle F. Metal shaft F may have the notch f therein, when desired, and where this notchf is used the pointf caused thereby is adapted to enter a notch or hole provided therefor in spring cl. f is neither new nor essential, and the hole therefor in the spring cl is not illustrated.

f is a wire, one end of which is secured, as illustrated in Fig. 6, to the metal shaft F of spring-contact transfer-plug F, and the other end is secured in like manner to another like spring-contact transfer-plug. The spring-contact dynamo-terminals of the dynamos being like the spring-contact terminals of the several line-circuits, either one of This notch IIO the spring-contact transfer-plugs F may be inserted in either one of the spring-contact terminals D E.

G is a plain-contact transfer-plug, G being the handle, and G the metal shaft, thereof. Shaft G is adapted to be inserted in plaincontact terminals D of the dynamo and linecircuit stations, respectively. The metal shaft G of the plain-contact transfer-plugs are electrically connected'by the wire g.

In Figs. 1 and 2 and in the several Figs. 9 to 13, both inclusive, the wires f and g of Figs. 6 and 7 are lettered w to to, both inclusive, in order to intelligently describe the several electrical connections, which may be formed by the use of the transfer-plugs when the same are inserted in the face of the switchboard, hereinafter described.

The several stations at the negative and positive terminals in the switch-board being duplicates, I have in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 lettered the negative terminals N and the positive terminals P, (in both the dynamo and line circuit terminals,) and in Figs. 8 to 12, both inclusive, the negative terminals are indicated by the minus sign and the positive terminals by the plus sign, in the usual manner.

H II are the line-circuit switches, which consist of handle it, pivot H, which is rotatablein the switch-board X and firmly secured in plate It, constructed of vulcanized fiber or some suitable non-conducting material, lever H pivoted at one end thereof on pivot J, and at the other end thereof on pivot h to nonconducting-plate h, and a lever H pivoted midway from the ends thereof on pivot K, and at one end thereof on pivot 72 to nonconducting-plate h.

The lug or projection E in Figs. 3 and 6 is adapted to be placed in electrical contact with switch-levers H and H or to be released from such electrical contact by the movement of such levers toward the stations E,or away therefrom when the handle it of the switch is turned to the right or to the'left, as desired.

The wires of the several line-circuits 1, 2, 3, and 4, are electrically secured to pivots J and K, J being illustrated as at'the negative pole and K at the positive pole.

Dynamo Z is represented by full lines in Fig; 1 as running line-circuit- 3, one of a pair of spring-contact transfer-plugs connected by Wire WV being inserted in the spring-contact terminal of the negative pole of dynamo Z, and the other of such pair being inserted at the negative pole of line-circuit 3 in the spring-contact terminal to the right-hand side of terminal 0 and one of the spring-contact transfer plugs of the pair-attached to wire W being inserted in the spring-contact terminal of the positive pole of dynamo Z and the other of such pair being inserted at the positive pole of line-circuit 3 in the spring-contact terminal to the right-hand side of terminal C The handle it of this line-circuit terminal being thrown to the right, such line-circuits are thereby thrown by levers H H (see Fig. 3) in electrical contact with the plug-receptacles at the right-hand side of such terminal.

Dynamo Y is represented in Fig. 1 as running line-circuits 2 and 4, one of a pair of spring-contact transfer-plugs connected together by wire being inserted in the springcontactterminal at the negative pole of terminal B of dynamo Y, and the other of such pair being inserted at the negative pole of line-circuit 2 in the spring-contact terminal at the right-hand side of terminal 0 and one of the spring-contact transfer-plugs of the pair connected together by wire Vi being inserted at the positive pole of line-circuit 2 in the spring-contact terminal at the right-hand side of such terminal 0 and the other one of such pair being inserted at the negative pole of line-circuit at in the spring-contact terminal at the right-hand side of terminal 0*, and one of the spring-contact transfer-plugs of the pair electrically connected by wire W being inserted at the positive pole of line-circuit 4 in the spring-contact terminal at the righthand side of such terminal 0 with the other of such pair inserted in the spring-contact terminal of the positive pole of dynamo Y at terminal B.

To cut circuit & out from dynamo Y and switch such circuit into dynamo Z, the operation performed is as follows: One of the pair of plain-contact transfer-plugs connected by wire XV, Figs. 2 and 10, is inserted at terminal A in one of the terminals D at the positive'pole of dynamo Z, and the other of such pair is inserted at the positive pole of linecircuit 3 in one of the plain-contact terminals D at the right-hand side of terminal 0 The one of the pair of transfer-plugs which are electrically connected by wire W inserted at the positive pole of line-circuit 3 in the spring-contact terminal at the right-hand side of terminal 0 in Fig. 1, is taken out of the switch-board, and the wire W thus rendered dead. The wire TV now formsthe conductor for line-circuit 3 in place of wire WV? The manner in which line-circuit 3 is now electrically connected on the switch-board is illustrated in diagram Fig. 10, wire V being indicated as dead with its lower end free by the dotted lines in such figure. Next the spring-contacttransfer-plug at the free end of wire W is placed in the spring-contact terminal at the positive pole of line-circuit 4 at the left-hand side of terminal 0*, Fig. 2. Then take one of the pair of plain-contact transfer-plugs connected together by wire W 7 and place it at the positive pole of circuit 4: in the upper of the plain-contact terminals at the left-hand side of terminal 0 and place the other of the pair at the negative pole of said circuit at in the lower of the plain-contact terminals at the left-hand side of terminal 0 Fig. 2. Then take one of a pair of spring-contact transfer-plugs connected together by wire WV and place it at the negative pole of line-circuit 4 in the IIO spring-contact terminal to the left-hand side of terminal 0 and place the other one thereof in the spring-contact terminal at the positive pole of line-circuit 3 at the right-hand side of terminal 0 from which has been removed, as described, the spring-contact transfer-plug attached to the lower end of wire KW. Then take out the plain-contact plug attached to Wire IV in the lower plain-contact terminal at the positive pole of circuit 3 at the right-hand side thereof, and also the plain-contact plug at the upper end of wire IV in dynamo-terminal A at the positive pole, as indicated by the dotted lines on Fig. 2, extending from wire WV, near the ends of such wire. Then place another of the pair of plain-contact transfer-plugs, being one of a pair united by wire W in the nlain-contact terminal at the positive pole of line-circuit 4 011 the right-hand side thereof, and place the other of such plugs in the plaincontact terminal at the negative pole of said circuit 4 to the right-hand side thereof.- Immediately as the last plug is inserted the switch H to circuit 4 is quickly thrown to the left by handle it, and as soon as thrown one of the plain-contact plugs on wire IV is withdrawn from the plain-contact terminal in which it is inserted, after which the other of such plugs is removed, as indicated by the dotted lines at terminal 0 on Fig. 2, and thus wholly removed from the board.

In Fig. 12 a diagram is shown of the manner in which the circuit 4 is, by the operation last above described and in addition to circuit 3, run by dynamo Z, with the wire V shown in dotted lines. There is also shown in this diagram Fig. 12 the manner in which dynamo Y is electrically connected with linecircuit 2, over the wires W IV, W and 1V To remove the wires and W from the switch-board and to transfer the plug at the lower end of wire W now inserted in the spring-contact terminal to the right-hand side at the positive pole of line-circuit at, and place 'the same in the spring-contact terminal at the positive pole of the line-circuit 2 at the right-hand side thereof, and so present, when finished, transfer-pin gs and connecting-wires, arranged as illustrated by the full lines in diagram Fig. 13, one of the pair of plain-con- I tact transfer-plugs connected together by .wire W is placed in one of the plain-coning of these plugs on the wire as described, the wires W, W, and W can be treated as dead-wires, and the spring-contact transfer-plug at the lower end of wire W removed, as indicated by the dotted coil of wire at the lower end of wire V and placed in the spring-contact terminal at the positive pole of circuit 2, to the right-hand side thereof. The dead-wires 7* and W may then be taken from the switch-board, as can also the wire W thus restoring wire W to life. In Fig. 13 these wires, which are removed, are indicated by dotted lines, as is also so much of wire V as is changed in its position by the last-de-' scribed operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a switch-board, a line-circuit terminal consisting of a right-hand terminal for the positive and for the negative pole of the linccircuit and of a left-hand terminal for each of such poles, a pivoted lever electrically connected at its pivoted point with the positive wire of the line-circuit, and a second pivoted lever electrically connected at its pivotal point with the negative wire of the line-circuit, such levers being coupled together, so that the movement of one thereof will produce movement in the other thereof, but such levers not electrically connected, in combination with a dynamo circuit terminal and transfer-plugs electrically connected in pairs, each of such transfer-plugs being adapted to be electrically connected with the dynamocircuit terminals and the line-circuitterminals, substantially as described.

2. In a switch-board, the combination of dynamo-terminals consisting of a spring-contact and a plain-contact station for the negative and for the positive pole of the dynamo, with line-circuit terminals consisting of aright I 00 and a left hand spring-contact and plain-contact station for the negative and positive poles of the line-circuit, transfer-plugs electrically connected in pairs adapted to be inserted in the spring-contactterminals, and other transfer-plugs, also electrically connected in pairs, adapted to be inserted in the plain-contact terminals, a switch -lever electrically connected at its pivotal point with the positive wire of the line-circuit, a second switch-lever 1 1o electrically connected atits pivotal point with the negative wire of the line-circuit, such levers not electrically connected together, but coupled together, so that the movement of one of them will cause like movement of the other, substantially as described.

ROBERT F. SAIVYER.

Witnesses:

CHARLES T. BROWN, JOHN C. HAZLETT. 

